


GLEAMING SUN

by bbbinnie



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Anxiety, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Fainting, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Idols, Insomnia, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Lee Jeno Are Best Friends, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan Is The Sun, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Mark Lee (NCT) is Whipped, Panic Attacks, Pet Names, Phobias, Self Confidence Issues, Side jaeno - Freeform, Sleepy Kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:27:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21629836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bbbinnie/pseuds/bbbinnie
Summary: in which donghyuck is afraid of the dark and no one has to find out- especially his boyfriend.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 11
Kudos: 520





	GLEAMING SUN

**Author's Note:**

> because markhyuck.
> 
> proof read as of 1/1/2020

donghyuck has managed to dodge it all once again.

he had been released from vocal practice the latest out of all of the members, and the sky was already dark when he stepped out of the SM building. taking a glance at his phone, he sighed relieved when the screen lit up numbers close to midnight- the nineteen years old was certain that most of the members, if not all of them, were asleep. just to be sure of it, though, donghyuck decided to walk home, instead of calling for a taxi as they were supposed to. taking the longer path home, his feet dragging him on the street instead of the sidewalk, where the lamp posts illuminated the brightest, donghyuck fell into a battle with his own thoughts once again.

he was barely an infant when his parents discovered that he was afraid of the dark. 

his mother would kiss him goodnight and place his favourite soft plushie right besides him, before making her way out o the room- never forgetting to close the light behind her. and almost instantly, whether donghyuck was awake or fully asleep, he would jolt and whimper and cry his little lungs out, until his mother would come back and flick the lights back on, and then he would almost instantly calm down. it was pretty obvious, soon after, that the little sun-kissed baby was merely afraid of the dark; and so his parents got him a night light, a pretty little sun, lightning up the room with a warm orange hue, and donghyuck never cried at night again.

it was only when he entered middle school, in his dreadful years of puberty, when twelve year olds were the meanest they could be yet not old enough to understand the consequences of their words, when he found out there was something wrong with him. donghyuck found out in the hard way, at a sleepover at his former best friend's house, that not all kids slept with a night light on. uncomfortable and anxious, he asked his friend if he had a little light to plug in the wall outlet- he received a fit of laughter in return, and too many hurtful nicknames to count.

needless to say, donghyuck got new friends, and never slept at another house that wasn't his own,

but when he got casted, his dreams of becoming a singer closer and closer to being real, and donghyuck had to move in the trainee's dorms, further away from home that he's ever been, his problems began once again.

donghyuck managed to find a pattern of actions that would work for him- waiting until everyone else went to sleep, so he could go open the bathroom light and leave the door open, or falling asleep with his phone screen open bright, blaming it on him passing out while watching videos late at night. all temporary decisions that stretched into being long time ones, with him having already debuted into a group, with whom he lived in a brand new dorm. 

and donghyuck was aware that he could probably fix things and that he should do so, rather sooner than later. because his group got more and more popular by the day, and his schedule got fuller and fuller, and his sleep deteriorated as days went by. because all members had different priorities and often came and left at odd hours back in the dorm, and his bathroom light trick could only work on fewer and fewer occasions. because someone would always complain about him 'watching' videos late at night and disturbing the others.

because donghyuck got more and more anxious by day, sleep deprivation starting to mess up with his mental and physical state in the worst ways possible, and because his boyfriend was too smart for his own good.

finally reaching his dorm, donghyuck sighed as the time on his phone passed the hour of 1am, his schedule for the next day requiring him to be awake in not more than 5 hours. pushing the door handle, inviting himself in the dreadful pitch blackness of the dorm, the nineteen years old immediately turned on the flashlight on his phone, sighing relieved when most of the hallway lit up. taking his shoes off, donghyuck decided to pass on his usual shower, not having had dance practice at all that day, in favour of catching up at least the few hours of sleep that he could. moving towards his shared room with jaemin, he stopped dead in his tracks, phone falling soundly at his feet, at the sight of a figure lurking in their living room. picking up his phone and dragging the flashlight over the stranger, donghyuck groaned frustrated.

"hyung, i fucking hate you" the nineteen years old muttered, hitting his boyfriend on the back of his head boldly.

"yah why are you so late? i talked with the manager and he said he's releasing you at 11. you were supposed to be home hours ago, hyuck" mark scolded while rubbing at the back of his head dramatically. "i'm worried about you" was all the older said, but both of them knew that the words implied so much more. 

"you have nothing to be worried about, stop being a dramatic little bitch, hyung" the younger joked as he always would, snarky remarks always on the tip of his tongue, hoping that mark would buy his poor acting or at least leave him alone for the time being. donghyuck rarely felt truly sleepy and he desperately needed seize the opportunity and go sleep as soon as possible.

"donghyuck" the older let the name past his lips in a manner that had the nineteen year old immediately looking down between his feet, sensing a scolding coming his way. instead, all he could feel were warm hands wrapping around his shoulders, caging him protectively. relaxing into the touch, his nose instantly nuzzling in his boyfriend's neck, donghyuck sighed, exhausted. "i should take better care of you. i should take all the signs more seriously" mark muttered in the shorter's hair, his hand rubbing comforting circles on his boyfriend's back. 

"you take good enough care of me already, hyung. best boyfriend" the younger mumbled against mark's neck, reassuring words passing his lips much easier when he was half asleep than when he was fully awake, quick-witted remarks leaving his mouth as an impulse. sighing against his hair, totally unconvinced, mark kissed his forehead softly.

"we're talking about whatever it is you're keeping away from me tomorrow night, when we're free" mark whispered in the dark room, swaying his boyfriend back and forth comfortingly. noting that the younger was more asleep than awake, mark dragged them both in his own room, figuring some cuddling would help his boyfriend feel better. 

taking off donghyuck's pants and hoodie, before doing the same with his own clothes, mark cuddled the younger close to his chest, relishing in the skin to skin contact. sighing in his sleep, donghyuck nuzzled his face in his boyfrend's neck, lips attaching to the soft skin- one thought only in the back of his head, a hopeful hunch that he wouldn't wake up again until the sun came up.

~

when donghyuck woke up, he immediately knew something was wrong when he could not spot a difference in his surroundings whether his eyes were open or close.

with two arms holding him in place, tight enough for it to be borderline just the right amount of comfortable, the nineteen years old could only feel the heat coming off of the naked chest he was laying on, and the steady beat of a heart right under his ear. trying to ignore the rapid growing of his own heartbeat, his breathing more and more unsteady, donghyuck closed his eyes tightly and cuddled back into his sleeping boyfriend in hopes of falling back asleep. 

donghyuck couldn't fall back asleep.

raising his head once again, frantically looking around for his phone, a safe source of light, donghyuck managed to elbow his boyfriend in the ribs, action immediately startling the older awake. 

"hyuck, baby-" mark immediately raised himself in a seated position, pulling his boyfriend in his lap. "why are you crying? what happened?" the older asked, his voice deep and grouchy and breaking at the end of his words from having just woken up. unable to hold still for another second, his heart beating harshly in his ears, stomach churning sickly, donghyuck sprinted out of the room and in their dorm shared bathroom, locking himself in the small, yet brightly illuminated room. 

with mark banging at the door, frantic words in both english and korean leaving his mouth hysterically, donghyuck laid in their empty bathtub, the cold marble cooling off his scorching skin. one of his hands finding his pulse at the side of his neck, the other placed on his chest over his hammering heart, the nineteen years old tried calming himself down, ignoring all the commotion happening outside of the bathroom. 

feeling his pulse start to go back to normal, the hammering in his ears subsiding to a mere buzzing, donghyuck wiped at his tears pathetically. raising from the bathtub and approaching the sink, donghyuck avoided looking at himself in the mirror at all costs, and instead opted for splashing freezing cold water on his face. finally focusing his ears back on what was happening outside the four walls he trapped himself in, the nineteen years old sighed frustrated at the sound of multiple voices arguing. 

wiping his face dry, he slapped his own cheeks to bring back some colour in the dead skin, before unlocking the bathroom door and stepping in the living room, his eyes set downcast.

a pair of arms immediately engulfed him, yet he could instantly tell it was not mark, especially because of the hard slap he received on the shoulder seconds after.

"yah, who do you think you are? getting us all worried about you, at fucking 3am? you better bathe in all the attention we're giving you, hyuck-ah, cuz it won't happen anytime soon" jeno spoke faster than donghyuck has ever heard him before, his words slurred. raising his eyes, he could see his best friend glaring at him, but it wasn't in a mean way; the look had a hint of worry and anxiety in it, and the shorter felt bad for ever causing jeno to feel such a thing. behind his best friend he could see jaemin looking very much half asleep, his lips pouted cutely, one of his hands holding onto the hem of jeno's pyjama shirt tightly.

"let him breathe. you two, go sleep" mark ordered in his leader tone, that specific one that had everyone immediately complying to whatever it was he commanded. it seemed as if jeno didn't want to play obedient in the time being, though, seeing as his feet were still planted in the ground, his eyes set on his best friend. "jeno. your boyfriend is seconds away from falling dead asleep in the middle of the living room. go take care of him and i'll take care of mine" mark continued, and the younger rapper seemed to finally snap out of it, his eyes finding jaemin looking downcast, hand still clutching at his shirt much like a child would to his mother.

"fine. but we're definitely talking about this tomorrow, hyuck-ah" was all jeno warned, before turning towards his own room, dragging his boyfriend along gently, even if the couples had a 'no sleeping in the same bed' rule. he guessed that if mark got to sleep and cuddle with his boyfriend tonight, though, he could do the same with his boyfriend too.

with mark remaining the only one left in the room, hyuck allowed himself to finally exhale the anxious breath he has been holding in, his legs almost giving out. grabbing his arm to steady him, mark sighed exhausted. 

"i would ask what happened, but i'm sure your stubborn ass won't even take into consideration answering that" mark stated, and donghyuck was relieved that the older was so understanding. instead, mark took his hand and started dragging him back towards their room, but not before switching the bathroom light off.

flinching at the sudden darkness, his hand jerking from his boyfriend's hold to the power outlet to turn the light back on, donghyuck dragged the older to the latter's room, ignoring the questioning look in the taller's face.

"renjun and jisung?" the nineteen years old asked, knowing that was enough for mark to understand.

"sent them back to sleep as soon as they left the room. couldn't convince jeno to do the same. jaemin wouldn't leave because jeno wouldn't either" mark narrated, his lips stretching into a yawn as he let himself fall on his bed. 

"thank you" was all the younger said, laying on the bed close to his boyfriend. the older moved even closer, pecking the corner of his mouth before kissing his forehead gently.

"you won't be able to avoid talking about this forever, hyuck, i hope you know that" mark stated, holding his boyfriend dearly to his chest much like he did hours before. donghyuck hummed, truly thankful that mark chose not to question him on wanting to have the bathroom light on, and the room to the older's door wide open to let the light through.

hyuck knew perfectly well, though, that mark was smarter than he looked.

~

a whole week has managed to pass with donghyuck avoiding mark like a plague.

purposefully doing worse than ever at their dance practice for the new comeback, the nineteen years old was requested to stay overtime almost every single day, the managers not letting him off the hook even with mark barking his disagreements at them. the new schedule seemed to work in favour for hyuck as well, since he was dead tired every single time he came back at the dorms from the company and most times he just fell asleep without a second anxious thought related to the darkness of his room. 

it got worrying, though, when donghyuck fainted in the middle of the dance practice, his body dropping to the floor face down, leaving his nose broken and bloody. with no one else in the practice room besides him, the other members and the managers having left for the night, the nineteen years old was found with his head surrounded by a small puddle of blood, by none other than his boyfriend, the latter worried about his unjustified absence for hours more than usually.

immediately picking him off the floor, the only logical solution being to take him to the nearest hospital, mark rushed out of the building only to realise that he forgot his phone at the dorms and he couldn't call an ambulance or a taxi. with tears beginning to form in his eyes, his mind frantically searching for a solution, mark sat on the sidewalk in front of the company, holding his lover close to his chest much like he would to a baby.

"hyung" a small, scratchy voice called, and mark immediately looked down at his boyfriend, his eyes welling up with tears. without a second thought about the younger's face being half covered in dried up blood, mark bent down and kissed him all over, his chest erupting quiet sobs. 

"i thought you were dying! what the fuck are you doing hyuck?!" mark exclaimed, helping the younger in a seated position besides him. sniffing his nose, not having realised that he started crying as well, donghyuck sighed and grimaced at the taste of blood on his lips.

"hyung" the younger whispered, anxiety finally catching up to him. looking around, the only light in the area being the lamp post above their head, the roads clear of any people of cars, donghyuck sniffed his tears away, suddenly feeling the exhaustion from the dreadful past days. "hyung, please take me home"

~

"that's it" mark muttered between his teeth. shutting the door behind him, louder than he usually would, the twenty year old propped himself against the door, blocking the way. "you're not leaving this room until you tell me what's been bothering you lately. i don't care if i have to keep you in here for hours, or days, i don't care" the older scowled dramatically, trying to play the bad guy. everyone was perfectly aware that mark was putty in his boyfriend's hands though, and hyuck himself was the one taking the most advantage of it.

"hyung, it's seriously not that big of a deal" the younger mumbled, his words barely leaving his mouth. looking between his legs, unable to keep the eye contact at the confrontation, donghyuck felt his heartbeat pick up anxiously.

"it is a huge deal to me if it's putting your life in danger!" mark raised his voice uncharacteristically,surprising even himself. clearing his throat, his hands picked one of his boyfriend's between them, the touch apologetic "you fucking fainted in the practice room, hyuck-ah. it is a big deal, so i would very much appreciate it if you would trust me and tell me what's wrong, because unless i know i cannot help, and i hate not being able to help you hyukie. it hurts me so much to see you hurt and i just cannot take this anymore no matter what-"

"i'm scared of the dark" donghyuck interrupted his boyfriend's rant, his eyes still set on the ground, eyes threatening to spill with frustrated tears. he wasn't supposed to be so emotional. he was always the stubborn one, the petty one, the annoying one. the mood maker of the room, arguing with everyone because he wouldn't back down no matter what. he wasn't supposed to be so vulnerable, so emotional and exposed. donghyuck hated it all. 

"what" mark stated more than asked, his boyfriend's words not clicking in his brain properly. 

"i'm scared of the dark, hyung. i have been since i was born. it gives me terrible anxiety being in a dark room, and especially sleeping in one" hyuck repeated himself, finally raising his eyes from the ground, finding mark's dark, concerned ones. "i purposefully messed up the choreo so i would be held back at dance practice, so i would get home a lot later and everyone would be either asleep or too tired to question why lights are on at night" the nineteen years old let it all out, preparing himself for the worst to come. being met with only a confused frown, donghyuck swallowed his tears frustrated. "just say something, hyung" 

"you are a fucking idiot, lee donghyuck" mark muttered, rubbing his temples frustratingly, everything yet nothing finally making sense. and mark understood.

~

donghyuck smiled tiredly at the small night light plugged right besides his bed, a little yellow lion, it's wild, untamed mane in a darker, orange hue, that reminded the nineteen year old so much of so many things, he couldn't help but be so happy at the sight of it. ignoring the door open and close behind him, his eyes still set on the nostalgic night light, donghyuck sighed relaxed when he felt familiar arms circle around him, a head leaning on his shoulder to share his sight.

"i didn't wanna get a plain one" mark whispered, keen on keeping the mood light and tranquil. turning his head ever so slightly, donghyuck placed a soft kiss on his boyfriend's lips, a gentle, tender touch passing on so many emotions.

"i love it" donghyuck whispered back, his eyes leaving the night light as he laid down on the bed. propped on one elbow, mark smiled cheesily as he looked down at his boyfriend. "my little lion" hyuck murmured, raising one hand, fingers caressing the older's cheek gently, his soft touch passing on all the electrifying emotions he was feeling, right through the tips of his fingers. _thank you. i love you,_ the touch spoke for itself. mark understood.

placing a hand over the one on his cheek, mark kissed the palm lightly, before bending down, laying over his boyfriend, catching his lips sweetly. 

hyuck was happy to fall asleep to the warm hue of the night light, illuminating the ceiling, his boyfriend tucked into his side like a perfectly fitting puzzle piece, but he was happier to wake up the next morning, his mind blank and heart tranquil, mark's soft breathing matching his just perfectly.


End file.
